Alcohol ethoxylates are non-ionic surfactants that are produced by the reaction of alcohol with ethylene oxide in the presence of potassium hydroxide catalyst at a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius and a pressure of 1-2 bar. Alcohols can be produced from both natural raw materials and petrochemicals.
However, ethoxylate is produced from petrochemical sources. The AE family of compounds has good foaming (controlled foaming), is used in household detergents as laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and does not damage the fabric during washing. Ethoxylates are produced from alcohols with a carbon chain of 12C-22C. Ethoxylates produced at 12C-15C are the most widely used. Ethoxylates are used in liquid detergents and dishwasher detergents.
One of the features of this product is its high cleaning power against oily stains and their insensitivity in hard water. Another characteristic of alcohol ethoxylate is that it is biodegradable. These compounds are more suitable for washing natural fabrics than other detergents and do not damage them during washing, because unlike other detergents, the electrostatic force does not have much effect on these compounds.
Alcohol ethoxylates have higher cleaning power than anionic surfactants when used independently. Aqueous toxicity of alcohol ethoxylate increases with decreasing degree of ethoxylation and increasing hydrophobic chain length. According to tests conducted in North America and Europe, these compounds have a lower degree of toxicity in water than other compounds. Alcohol ethoxylate is absorbed by the soil and can be converted from liquid phase to solid phase and has the ability to become activated sludge.
Physical and chemical characteristics of alcohol ethoxylate
The solubility of alcohol ethoxylate in water based on the carbon chain is as follows.
| 8C | 10C | 12C | 13C | 14C | 15C | 16C | 18C |
| At 25 degrees Celsius 551 mg/l | At 25 degrees Celsius 39.5 mg/l | At 25 degrees Celsius 1.93 mg/l | At 25 degrees Celsius 0,38 mg/l | At 25 degrees Celsius 0.191 mg/l | At 25 degrees Celsius 0.102 mg/l | At 25 degrees Celsius 0.013 mg/l | At 25 degrees Celsius 0.0011 mg/l |
Table 1- Solubility level of alcohol ethoxylate in water based on carbon chain
The boiling point of alcohol ethoxylate based on the carbon chain is as follows.
| 8C | 10C | 12C | 13C | 14C | 15C | 16C | 18C |
| 194-195 | 229 | 255-269 | 276 | 289 | 344-334 | 210 | 333 |
Table 3 – Melting point of alcohol ethoxylate at ambient pressure (Celsius)
Practical introduction
Ethoxylates and their derivatives are used in detergents. These compounds are used as cleaning agents. These materials are used in various industries such as cosmetics, agriculture, textiles, rubber, paint, leather and household detergents.
Usages
1. Cosmetics industries
One of the characteristics of ethoxylates is their skin and hair cleansing ability. These compounds are used in the cosmetics industry in the following products.
- Bodywash
- Bathing gels
- Bubble bath products
- Bathing soaps
- Shampoos
- Antiseptic products
2. Agriculture
Ethoxylates are used in the agricultural industry to dilute toxins in agriculture due to their high performance against water hardness.
3. Textile industry
In the textile industry, ethoxylates are used as fiber cleaning and dyeing agents. These compounds are used for washing wool, cotton fibers and dyeing fibers. These compounds are used as a wetting agent and an auxiliary agent for fabric dyeing due to their high penetrating power in cotton fibers.
4. Rubber industry
These compounds are used in the production of high quality tires due to their high stability.
5. Paint industries
Ethoxylate compounds are used in the paint industry, for example, the compound (Lauryl-myristyl-alcohol ethoxylates) is used as a solvent in this industry. These compounds are the best emulsifiers used for paint formulation due to their high performance against water hardness due to their non-ionic nature.
6. Leather industry
In the leather industry, ethoxylates are used in the tanning process and final leather production.
7. Detergents
Ethoxylate compounds are used to produce laundry powders, dishwasher detergents, and disinfectants.